Religious Vultures
Religious Vultures refers to false religious leaders (and the false religions which they operate) which are used as a tool of Satan to ensnare humans into hell. They try to gobble-up as many humans as possible in order to ensnare them into dead religion for the purpose of keeping them from true salvation received by faith in God alone.
Satan is the author of all false religion and false religion is designed to occupy humans with vain religious rituals until they expend their lives on earth and perish and go to hell. Dead religion gives a false hope of salvation (earned by human works) while at the same time it also keeps people from coming to God to be justified by faith.
People involved with false religion will typically become “self-righteous” as they boast of their membership in a dead religion as if they presume, they have a pass to heaven! It is this self-righteousness that keeps them from acknowledging that they are sinners and keeps them from coming to God to be justified by faith. Therefore, false religions ensnare millions of humans and sends these people to hell!
False Religious Leaders Compared to Tares
Matthew 13:24-30 (7KB)
24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good wheat seed in his field.
25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares (toxic darnel weeds) among the wheat, and went away.
26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the tares (toxic darnel weeds) also appeared.
27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good wheat seed in your field? Where then did the tares (toxic darnel weeds) come from?’
28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull up the tares?’
29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the tares (toxic darnel weeds), you may root up the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the tares (toxic darnel weeds) and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'”
A tare is a weed which grows in wheat fields and is thought to be the same as the present-day toxic “Darnel-weed” which produces toxic seeds. A person who ingests even a tiny seed from this plant will become sick and nauseous and dizzy! If a person ingests too much of the Darnel seed toxin then they will experience death!
This provides a good analogy for false religion because those who are ensnared by false religion will typically behave as if they are drunk and not fully in control of their own senses. If they had any commonsense, they would get out of dead religion rather that spending their entire lives engaged in religious vanity only to end up in hell.
The tares in this parable represent false religious leaders who are sown among the good wheat. This is a good analogy because in real life the tares (toxic Darnel weeds) look just like real wheat except their seeds are toxic to both humans and livestock. In the same way the fruit of a false religious leader is toxic as well and will send their adherents to hell!
Matthew 7:16 (7KB)
16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Can people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?
Jesus said that a false religious leader will be known by his fruit. People do not pick good things like grapes from thorn bushes nor do they gather figs from thistles! Thorn bushes and thistles do not produce anything good to eat and the same is also true for false religious leaders. They do not feed the people spiritually or help them with biblical knowledge needed to finish their races on earth and to obtain eternal life.
Matthew 13:36-43 (7KB)
36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares (toxic darnel weeds) sown into the wheat field.”
37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good wheat seed is the Son of Man (who dispersed Fivefold Ministry Gifts unto men).
38 The field is the world, and the good wheat seed represents the sons of the kingdom who are called into the Fivefold Ministry. The tares (toxic darnel weeds) are the sons of the evil one sown as false ministers (who have toxic fruit which produces eternal death),
39 and the enemy who sows these false tare-ministers is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40 “As the tares (toxic darnel weeds) are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.
41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all these false tare-ministers that offend, and all those who practice lawlessness,
42 They will throw these false tare-ministers (and those who follow them) into the fiery furnace of hell, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then the righteous real “wheat-type” of Fivefold ministers (and those who follow them) will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
The tares represent false religious leaders who may appear to look the same outwardly as a real Fivefold Minister but in fact they are tares and unable to produce any good fruit at all but only produce toxic seeds like the toxic Darnel seeds that poison people.
A real wheat-type (Fivefold Minister) will produce real fruit in the lives of those who receive his teaching.
An Apostle will produce the fruit of divine order in the lives of his congregation.
A Prophet will produce the fruit of holiness and the fear of the Lord.
A Teacher will produce the fruit of revelation of God’s word to help people grow spiritually.
A Pastor will produce the fruit of oversight like a shepherd who watches over the sheep.
An Evangelist will produce the fruit of salvation of souls as he wins unbelievers to the Lord.
See “Fivefold Ministry Gifts” for more details.
Matthew 10:41 (NIV)-M
41 Anyone who receives a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward…
This portion of scripture has application for receiving from a Fivefold Ministry Gift. If a believer will receive an Apostle as an Apostle, they will receive an Apostle’s reward (which is the fruit of divine order for their lives). If they will receive a Prophet as a Prophet, they will receive a Prophet’s reward which is the fruit of holiness and fear of the Lord. If they will receive a Teacher as a Teacher, they will receive the fruit of a Teacher which is divine revelation of God’s word. If they receive a Pastor as a Pastor, they will receive the fruit of a Pastor which is oversight and spiritual guidance. If an unbeliever will receive an Evangelist as an Evangelist then they will receive the fruit of the Evangelist which is salvation.
In order to receive a Fivefold Minister, they have to understand what fruit they bear and then honor that gift in them in order to receive from them. If unbelievers disdain and disrespect an Evangelist for example they will not receive the fruit of salvation that he bears. They have to honor the Fivefold Ministry Gift before they can receive from that gift. They are to receive that ministry gift knowing that he is sent as a gift from God for their own benefit.
False ministers are sown by the adversary the devil into the wheat field and they often look outwardly similar to a real Fivefold Ministry Gift (except that they do not produce anything good for the people). False ministers only produce death like a toxic Darnel weed with poisonous seeds! They cannot produce any of the good fruits which are evident in the lives of those who receive the ministry of the real Fivefold Ministry Gifts.
Also, if someone gives tithes or offerings as financial donations to a real Fivefold Minister then they will receive a blessing and be prospered by God in return for their giving. But if the same people give money to a tare-type of false minister they will only reap a curse instead of a blessing. There is nothing good about a false minster and even giving financial donations to these false religious leaders will bring a curse to those who are foolish enough to give to them!
See “Giving and Kingdom Finances” for more details.
Matthew 7:13-14 (7KB)
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
14 but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
There is a narrow or a specific way of salvation provided by the sacrifice of Jesus God’s only Son. Jesus is the specific way and the only way by which humans can be saved.
But the way to eternal damnation is a broad way and it is smooth and easy to travel like a highway. Many go on this road because all of the millions of false religions on earth all lead to hell! Jesus is the narrow gate or specific way of salvation for whoever will call upon the Lord by faith and receive the free gift of eternal life.
Romans 10:13 (NIV)
13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Salvation is obtained as a free gift to all who will call upon the Name of the Lord to be saved.
Acts 4:12 (NIV)
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Salvation is found in no one else except in the Name of Jesus and there is no other Name given to mankind by which they must be saved. Jesus is that narrow way or specific way to salvation.
All other false religions are designed only to occupy humans in dead religious rituals until they perish and go to hell!
Matthew 7:15-20 (7KB)
15 “Beware of the false (religious leaders) who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Can people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?
17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 So you will recognize them by their fruit.
False religious leaders often have an outward appearance that seems good (just like tares which also look like good wheat). But just as the tares produce toxic seeds so the false religious leaders also produce toxic fruit that causes eternal death which sends people to hell.
These false religious leaders have no concern about the future and seem to be ignorant of the fact that they will be gathered up (like tares) and will be burned in the fires of hell together with all of those who follow them. These false religious leaders are fruitless and produce no good fruit of any kind and are unable to help their religious adherents in the least bit.
Analogy of Religion as a Prostitute
Religion can be compared to a prostitute because the prostitute and their clients use each other to get what they want. The prostitute receives money and the client gets to gratify their lust. But there is no love in this type of relationship so in a prostitute type of relationship there are people going to bed with one another in compromise to get what they want.
In this sense false religion can be compared to a prostitute because false religious leaders (and their false religions) promise their clients as false hope of eternal life by adhering to prescribed religious rituals invented by the false religious leader and his false religion. People enjoy this deceptive relationship because they falsely imagine that they can go to heaven while at the same time they can do whatever pleases them and live in sin!
In the time of Apostle Paul, the entire Gentile world was filled with false religions and idol temples. These religious leaders even prescribed sexual immorality as part of the worship system and thus their religion became extremely popular among lustful men. These men could gratify their lust while living in pretense that it was necessary for them to do this in order to worship their deity. The religious leaders could make good money from this system that exploited human desires for sin. So, the religious leaders were like a prostitute that would go to bed in compromise with their adherents. Their adherents would receive immoral sexual gratification within the pagan temple worship system while the religious leader would receive money and create a livelihood for himself.
But all of this false religion was full of self-deception because the false religious leader never gives a thought about eternity (when he would eventually die and go to eternal damnation together with those people who followed his fallacy)! False religion is all about the present-life only (of getting what they want in compromise without thought of the eternal consequences their unrighteous actions which will cause them to go to eternal damnation).
The pagan temples in the time of Apostle Paul were outrageous with sexual immorality and debauchery and blatant sin. But the same kind of prostitute/client relationship still remains in effect with false religions that appear to be dignified and respectable.
For example, many businessmen want to receive flattery and human attention for their giving to a church. So, a religious leader can easily start a social-club church for such men and come up with many ways to flatter them for their money. They place donor plaques on the wall with the name of the donor on it. They create reserved seating for big donors and all of this flattery causes these businessmen to try and outdo one another in giving to this fake social club church!
This is a present-day example of going to bed with one another in compromise to get what they want. The dignified Doctor of Divinity degree (who serves as an activities director for his social club church) receives a comfortable salary and nice church building while the businessmen who give big financial donations to this fake church are receiving human flattery and praise! They are in bed together to get what they want! But neither party considers the eternal results of their actions because the false religious leader will go to hell together with those members of his social club church that donate to him. There is nothing at all being accomplished for the kingdom of God in such a fake church and no one is being saved and no one is being cleaned up of heart-idols and no one is being prepared for entrance into heaven in the afterlife. Everything is focused only in the immediate life of receiving money and garnering human flattery without regard for pleasing God in any way.
In some social club churches if a businessman drops a big offering in the offering basket then he knows that he will soon be approached with an offer to serve on the board of directors of that church. Thus, his money can buy himself a position of control in that fake church. This is also part of a prostitute/client relationship of going to bed with one another because the false religious leaders receive money while the client giving his money is able to buy a place of control or influence in that fake church.
Satan has a different flavor for everyone and if a woman does not like to submit to her male authority as God has commanded then she can easily find a woman preacher who falsely declares that the bible teaches gender-equality! Supporting a false women preacher allows a deceived woman to hear what she wants to hear and then she falsely imagines this will absolve her of the responsibility of obeying her husband. Thus, she can do whatever she wants and the false woman preacher receives a generous livelihood from all those rebellious women who support her. They are all in bed together (with the false women preacher receiving money) and the adherents receiving license to rebel against male authority in the home.
Telling Them What They Want to Hear
Kings 22:4-7 (7KB)
4 So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
5 But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the LORD.”
6 So the king of Israel brought together the prophets–about four hundred men–and asked them, “Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?” “Go,” they answered, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”
7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of the LORD here whom we can inquire of?”
Ahab was living in self-deception because he would inquire for direction from 400-false prophets who were on his payroll and were paid to tell the king whatever he wanted to hear. This is also a prostitute/client relationship where the false prophets were being paid (like a prostitute) and they were in bed together with the king to tell him whatever he wanted to hear! They all predicted in unison that the king would have success in battle!
But King Jehoshaphat was not impressed by these false prophets knowing that they would say anything just to flatter Ahab for his financial support so Jehoshaphat asked if there was not a real prophet they could inquire of.
1 Kings 22:12-14 (7KB)
12 All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. “Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious,” they said, “for the LORD will give it into the king’s hand.”
13 The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, as one man the other prophets are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.”
14 But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him only what the LORD tells me.”
The false prophets all spoke according to what they were paid to say but a real prophet only speaks the message given to him by God (even if it is dangerous to rebuke a king).
1 Kings 22:17 (NLT)
17 Then Micaiah told him, “In a vision I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘Their master has been killed. Send them home in peace.’”
The real prophet was the only one who predicted the death of Ahab in battle while over four-hundred false prophets all sang in unison that King Ahab would have success! The real prophet was right however and Ahab died from wounds received in that battle. A false prophecy does not become right just because there are 400-false prophets all speaking lies in unison (just to get money).
False religious leaders do the same thing when they flatter unrepentant sinners just to get their money without regard for future eternal things when these false religious leaders will go to hell together with those who follow them.
The First False Religion
Genesis 4:1-7 (7KB)
1 Now Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a man-child with the help of the LORD.”
2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.
3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil (produced by the sweat of his brow-laboring under the curse of Adam his father) as an offering to the LORD.
4 But Abel brought fat portions from sacrificing some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering (which contained atoning blood),
5 but on Cain and his “bloodless-offering” of produce God did not look with favor because Cain’s offering represents human toil of earning salvation by self-effort (without offering blood to make atonement for sin).
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? Do you really have a reason to be angry (because your own bloodless sacrifice was not acceptable)?
7 You will be accepted if you do what is right (by offering the prescribed blood sacrifice). But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
Abel brought fat portions from the animals of his flock so it is evident that he had to butcher these animals to obtain the fat. This necessitated the shedding of blood and it is the blood that God has prescribed for making atonement for sin.
Leviticus 17:11 (NIV)
11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.
Abel possessed knowledge of what was required by God to make atonement for sin and Abel complied with God’s requirements when he offered the blood of the animals of his flock. God was pleased with the offering of Abel and showed him favor because Abel had complied with what God had required in offering blood for making atonement for sin.
Exodus 13:2 (NIV)
2 “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal.”
It is evident that Abel also had knowledge of God’s ways concerning the firstborn because Abel specifically selected the firstborn of his flocks as an offering to God. In all ways Abel was pleasing to God and Abel took the time to learn God’s ways and submitted himself to fulfilling God’s requirements rather than inventing his own ideas.
Genesis 4:5 (7KB)
5 but on Cain and his “bloodless-offering” of produce God did not look with favor because Cain’s offering represents human toil of earning salvation by self-effort (without offering blood to make atonement for sin).
Cain did not take time to learn God’s ways but presumptuously assumed he could just invent his own way of approaching God. Cain’s offering was bloodless and represents human self-effort. Cain had to produce crops by the sweat of his brow as he tilled the soil and cultivated and weeded and carried water to make things grow. All of this self-effort was without blood so his offering of produce was not acceptable to God!
This is the essence of all false religion which falsely assumes they can invent their own way to God and that God will just flatter them and accept whatever whim they decide to come up with. But God has established a clear system of atonement that involves the offering of blood for remission of sins.
All of this blood sacrifice points toward the sacrifice of Jesus the Jewish Messiah who came to offer himself once-and-for-all to pay for the sins of all humanity that ever lived (past and present and future).
Hebrews 9:22 (7KB)
22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.
Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin because God has required the blood be offered to make restitution or payment for sin (as the innocent die for the guilty). All of this speaks of the blood sacrifice of Jesus the Messiah and the reason why God required that the innocent die for the guilty and that blood be shed to pay for sin.
Genesis 3:21 (7KB)
21 And the LORD God sacrificed animals to obtain their skins and provided garments (as a covering for the sin and nakedness of Adam and his wife).
When the first two humans fell into transgression God made skins for them from animals (which were probably skins of lambs) which is symbolic of covering their sin until the time of redemption when Jesus would appear as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Obtaining these animal skins would necessitate the death and shedding of the blood of these animals to use their skins for a covering so this speaks of the blood of the innocent animals covering the sin of wicked humans. This covering was something used under the Old Testament era where sin was covered by the blood until such time that Jesus could come and make atonement for sin. Once Jesus offered the sacrifice of himself for sin then his blood washed away all sin forever. Whoever will receive this free gift of salvation (by faith in the blood of Jesus) will have their sins washed away.
Romans 10:12-13 (7KB)
12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,
13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
All human self-effort end when people simply call upon the Name of the Lord and receive the free gift of salvation provided for them in Jesus Christ by the sacrifice of himself. Yet humans have not stopped trying to invent false religions and continue to seek to manufacture their own way to heaven without submitting to the only method of salvation prescribed by God.
Genesis 3:7 (NASB)
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.
As soon as Adam and Eve had sinned, they become aware of their nakedness and sewed fig leaves together for a covering. This speaks of a bloodless means of human self-effort in trying to cover their own sin.
All throughout human history humans have been trying to invent their own ways of redemption without submitting themselves to the prescribed method of redemption which has been provided by God.
False Religion Depicted by Tower of Babel
Genesis 11:1-4 (7KB)
1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
The tower of Babel represents human false religion and humans seeking to build their own way to reach heaven and creating their own means of obtaining eternal life. This is the same sin of self-sufficiency as displayed by Cain when he sought to offer produce to God in a bloodless offering and even got angry when God did not accept his man-made attempt at his own redemption.
This is the foundation of all false religion as they seek to obtain eternal life by their own self-effort and by their own human inventions of what they think will gain them eternal life. Such people live in self-delusion and have not submitted themselves to God’s prescribed way of salvation made available for all humanity by the sacrifice of the blood of Jesus the Jewish Messiah.
Romans 10:3 (7KB)
3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God.
Humans who are willfully ignorant about the way of righteousness provided by God will then embark on their own journey of self-effort to establish their own righteousness by man-made religion. But those involved in man-made religion have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God. Instead seeking to invent their own way of righteousness they become like Cain trying to earn salvation by vain human self-effort.
Genesis 11:3 (7KB)
3 They said to each other, “Come, let us make oven-fired bricks.” They used brick for stone and asphalt for mortar.
The tower of Babel was made of hundreds of millions of bricks held together with asphalt or naturally occurring tar. These bricks were made of clay just like the first man Adam was also made of the dust of the earth. These clay bricks made of dust speak of man-made or human-invented religions. There are hundreds of millions of false religions on earth with multiplied thousands of new false religions invented every day! The way that the people of Babel were producing bricks in large numbers is the same way that deluded humans all over the globe continue to produce large numbers of false religions every day.
Those involved with false religions will typically claim that there are many ways to God but this is complete falsehood because God has provided only one way of salvation by faith in Jesus the Messiah.
False Religion and Spirit of Murder
Genesis 4:8 (7KB)
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and (murdered) him.
The reason that Cain was angry and murdered his brother Abel was that Cain considered it preposterous that Abel and his offering of blood sacrifice was accepted while his own offering (representing months of self-labor under the heat of the sun) was rejected. Religion has a spirit of murder because they hate all those who come to God by faith and receive salvation as a free gift rather than vainly trying to earn it by working for it within their false religious systems.
1 John 3:12 (7KB)
12 We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and (murdered) his brother. And why did he murder him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous.
The actions of Cain to start his own false religion were evil and Cain was wicked in assuming that God would accept his labor of human self-effort to produce his own redemption. Those who are involved in false religions see themselves as superior to those who live by grace and thus these false religion people consider themselves worthy of God’s favor because of the great amount of work they expend in securing their own salvation.
False religion is established upon human pride and self-sufficiency and a desire to earn their way to heaven rather than submitting to God’s means of free salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.
Throughout world history those who are involved in false religions have sought to murder true believers who have come to God by faith (just as Abel did) to have their sins washed away the by atoning blood of Jesus.
Idol Worship
Idol worship brings a curse to those nations that are given to the worship of idols. India, China, Haiti and the nations of Asia which are given over to idol worship culture are all examples of nations that experience frequent natural disasters. The reason for this is because they provoke the jealous God to anger by their idol worship and bring judgment upon themselves.
Leviticus 19:4 (NIV)
4 “’Do not turn to idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.
The God of Israel strictly forbids the making of idols of any kind which are either carved of wood or stone or cast with molten metal. Anything that is a man-made object of worship is forbidden by the God of Israel.
Zephaniah 1:4-6 (NIV)
4 “I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the pagan and the idolatrous priests—
5 those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, those who bow down and swear by the Lord and who also swear by Molech,
6 those who turn back from following the Lord and neither seek the Lord nor inquire of him.
It is also forbidden by God that humans should worship objects found in nature or worship the starry host of planets seen in the skies. Humans were not to swear by God and swear by false idols at the same time (not mixing the worship of God together with pagan worship). They were to not turn back from following the Lord but were to seek the Lord and inquire of God instead of inquiring of idols for direction or help.
Leviticus 26:1 (NIV)
1 “‘You are not to make yourselves any idols, erect a carved statue or a standing-stone, or place any carved stone anywhere in your land in order to bow down to it. I am the Lord your God.
They were not to make any type of man-made objects of worship nor bow down to these objects.
Deuteronomy 29:17 (NIV)
17 You saw among them their detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold.
God declares that images and idols are detestable in his sight. Anything that was made of wood or stone or silver or gold or cast metal were all abominations to God because these man-made idols were designed to take the place of God because the idol-worshipers seek these man-made objects for guidance or blessing or things that come only from the God of Israel.
Deuteronomy 32:21 (NIV)
21 They made me jealous by what is no god and angered me with their worthless idols. I will make them envious by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.
The Jewish people fell into idol worship following the example of the godless heathens. They made God jealous by things that are no gods at all and angered God with their worthless idols.
Deuteronomy 32:16 (NIV)
16 They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols.
Repeatedly God said that they made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols.
Idol worship is part of false religion because humans are seeking to invent their own gods rather than having to submit to the commands of the one true living God who is the God of Israel. Idol worship offers a false hope for blessing and guidance while at the same time the heathen worshipers can presume to engage in immorality and follow all of the evil desires of their hearts as they falsely imagine that there will be no repercussions.
But there are great repercussions of natural disasters and cursing and poverty and upheaval and every evil thing for nations giving over to idol worship.
See the link “Idolatry-Curse of a Nation” for more details.
Also, those who follow false religions will typically submit their minds to false religious leaders and this is the essence of what it means to be a cult.